Bright Star Touring Theatre to highlight Town’s Black History Month

Farragut Museum will host a free event in honor of Black History Month featuring a performance by Bright Star Touring Theatre.

The theme for this year’s celebration, scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 12, in Farragut Town Hall, is “Creative Knowledge through Drama and Art,” Sue Stuhl, Farragut Parks & Leisure Services director, said.

A reception and museum tour will be held starting at 1 p.m., with the main performance beginning at 2 p.m. The museum also will highlight Black History Month with special displays in Town Hall Rotunda from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. the week of Feb. 6.

“Each year, Farragut Museum has a different speaker or theme,” Stuhl said. “This year we have contracted with the Bright Star Theatre group, one of the largest professional touring companies in the country, to present this musical.”

Bright Star annually performs for more than 1,500 audiences in all types of venues, she said. The production, “Freedom Songs: The Music of Black History,” in Farragut Town Hall will feature various types of music such as work songs and hymns of the Underground Railroad and the blues of Beale Street.

“The actors/singers will tell the stories associated with these famous or forgotten pieces of music,” Stuhl said. “The performance is suitable for those in grade three through adult, so we hope families will come together. This is a fun way to learn more about the history of the African-American community.

“We had this theater tour group do a play last year for Book Fest, a different play, and they were terrific, so I think the public really will enjoy it,” she added. “The play is a mixture of storytelling and music.”

Farragut Town Hall is located at 11408 Municipal Center Drive. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Mondays through Fridays and offers free admission.

For more information about Bright Star Touring Theatre, go to www.brightstartheatre.com